DETROIT, MI - Sheldon Keefe stood behind the Devils bench and was visibly voicing his displeasure with the referees after Brenden Dillon was handed a roughing penalty, to go along with his fighting penalty after he was boarded by Christian Fischer in a 2-2 tied game.
The Red Wings would score on the ensuing power play and take a 3-2 lead.
“Obviously, I think there should be a penalty on the initial hit, I think it’s quite clear," Keefe said, "Another one I think when the refs get a chance to look back at they’re going to see that differently. Disappointed we come out of that shorthanded of course and we don’t get the kill.”
It was a pivotal moment in the game after the Devils had already overcome a first period where the Red Wings had scored two goals in 25 seconds to take a 2-1 lead.
“That little stretch at the end of the first period, of course, that’s the most disappointing part of the game," Keefe added. "Especially when you cap that off with the too many men at the end of the period. There was real potential for things to unravel for us there, but I do like how we went out and got a good kill to start the second period and even hit the post on a chance of our own.”
Result aside, the Devils did play a strong game.
"I think team-wise I’m proud of how we played today," captain Nico Hischier said. "Obviously some things that we can be better, two quick goals and probably (penalty kill) as well that cost us the game. But still a lot of good things we did today and I think if we play that way, we’re going to win more games than we lose."
After Hischier opened the scoring of the game, Erik Haula tied it early in the second on a power play goal before Dillon’s third-period penalty. Dylan Larkin capitalized on Red Wing power play at 9:46 of the third and tensions mounted. Melees broke out, and the Devils were once again back on a power play with 8:19 to play in the game.
“Nico gets pulled down on a breakaway so we get a power play, but there’s a scrum and Chiarot ends up taking his gloves off and throwing a number of punches at our guys and doesn’t get anything extra, so I would say worse than what Dillon got a penalty for previous to that. Those are the kind of things that didn’t go our way today.”
The Devils captain continued his remarkable early season run with his second goal of the game to tie the game at 3 before yet another penalty landed the Devils in hot water.
Late in third Dawson Mercer took an ill-advised high-sticking penalty, and Patrick Kane scored the game-winner with the man advantage. Michael Rasmussen added the Red Wings fifth goal, an empty-netter with 11 seconds to play.
